Let's balance the budget; what would you cut?

[Ben Kenobi]

Wow, Ben doesn't think regulation of interstate commerce isn a Federal responsibility. He must have never read the constitution.

What, is that department of transportation? Why is it not Homeland Security.

D of T is the federal roads funding, etc. That should go to the states.

[Ben Kenobi]

That's cuts of about $936 billion

Not enough.

Mine is totally balanced, without cutting a dime from defense, or from the WOT. Once that's wrapped up, you can drop this stuff too.

[Drake Tungsten]

What big programs would you cut or eliminate in order to add up to $1 trillion per year?

Institute means testing for Social Security and Medicare. All done.

[Dinner]

Not enough.

Mine is totally balanced, without cutting a dime from defense, or from the WOT. Once that's wrapped up, you can drop this stuff too.

If you noticed I included a great many new tax increases which more then made up the difference plus helped fund things like unfunded future liabilities in medicare & SSI.

[Dinner]

What big programs would you cut or eliminate in order to add up to $1 trillion per year?

Institute means testing for Social Security and Medicare. All done.

Even if we assume 25% of the people on SSI and medicare are rich enough that they wouldn't pass means testing the savings would only be ~$240 billion leaving you $760 billion short of the goal of cutting $1 trillion.

[Drake Tungsten]

You obviously don't understand how means testing works. Shocker.

[Dinner]

If someone makes over a certain amount then they are judged to not need the benefit. So unless you are claiming everyone one on SSI and Medicare would be judged to be ineligible due to means testing results then you're no where near $1 trillion in savings.

[Drake Tungsten]

If someone makes over a certain amount then they are judged to not need the benefit.

No. Go read up on how the subsidies in the current healthcare reform bill work and then get back to us.

[OzzyKP]

Good question, good thread. Budget cutting isn't as easy to do as it sounds. But it is almost too big to cut in a way. We can say "cut ___ department 40%" but we have no idea what would be cut from that department, which programs would have to go, etc. We may rethink once we knew the particulars.

Plus there is loads and loads of waste and inefficiency that could be cut (in theory) without affecting services. How to do that is another story. How do you change the culture of an institution as big as the federal government? How do you cut red tape in one of the world's biggest bureaucracies? Beats me. Plus if things were streamlined, how much money would that save? 10%? 30%? 2%? How inefficient is the gov't anyhow?

Cut defense, cut farm aid, cut a lot of other things people mentioned.

Then, probably, I'd suggest raising taxes on the rich (possibly still below pre-Bush levels, but just throwing out random ideas) with a pledge that all money from that tax would go directly to pay down the debt. Paying down the debt should be something rich folks would be ok with. As the debt declines (and interest payments decline) then the tax would be phased out as well.

[David Floyd]

Cutting defense is ****ing stupid. Regardless of whether you THINK we should be involved in other nations, WE ARE. If we just simply withdraw, there will be repercussions detrimental to US interests. You have to address that before you just simply cut the DoD.

[HalfLotus]

Cut offense imo.

[Dinner]

If someone makes over a certain amount then they are judged to not need the benefit.

No. Go read up on how the subsidies in the current healthcare reform bill work and then get back to us.

Liar. You're just mad because you know I was right and you were wrong. Your proposed cuts were no where near $1 trillion.

[Drake Tungsten]

Liar. You're just mad because you know I was right and you were wrong.

Go do your research and then come back and explain how I'm wrong.

[Ben Kenobi]

If you noticed I included a great many new tax increases which more then made up the difference plus helped fund things like unfunded future liabilities in medicare & SSI.

Fine. I institute a 100 percent 'hipster' tax on CA.

I don't have to do budget cuts at all.

C'mon Oerdin. If you are going to play your own game, play it fair.

[Ben Kenobi]

I'd suggest raising taxes on the rich

Rich people in CA relocate to NV.

California Bankrupt.

C'mon. Why can't the leftists be honest here. Make your priorities, cut the unnecessary waste and balance the budget.

It CAN be done.